Associate Justice Ronald Moreno was aghast when Martin Romualdez’s cardiologist, Dr. Rody Sy, suggested waiting four to six weeks before allowing the disgraced former Speaker’s transfer to another medical facility.
Moreno, one of three judges in the Sandiganbayan Third Division handling the Ombudsman’s ₱7.4‑billion plunder case against Romualdez, said that timeline was unacceptable given the public outrage already mounting.
“Four‑to‑six weeks? Minumura na po kami ng tao,” Moreno admitted, acknowledging the frustration over delays in placing Romualdez in a regular detention facility.
Romualdez was arrested on Sept. 7 after the Sandiganbayan issued a warrant in the ₱7.4-billion plunder case filed against him over the wider ₱56-billion flood control scandal. Instead of entering jail custody after his arrest, he remained at Cardinal Santos Medical Center after his medical team cited health concerns.
The anti-graft court had already ordered Romualdez’s commitment to the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory, but the transfer remained pending as the court evaluated his medical condition.
During the proceedings, Sy confirmed that Romualdez could still attend short court hearings if his blood pressure stabilized, raising questions over why the process of moving him for further evaluation would require several more weeks.
The ₱7.44‑billion plunder case is only the beginning. More plunder and money‑laundering charges are expected. For millions of Filipinos left to endure flooding while ghost flood‑control projects betrayed them, the court’s decision is a victory against the master plunderer.
His arrest also marks a triumph for Peanut Gallery Media Network’s relentless exposés, now in their 11th straight week—230 million views across 2,042 posts—cementing the most viral anti‑corruption campaign ever mounted against a single figure in Philippine social media history. Even as Romualdez fought back with over 80 lawsuits, the barrage only grew louder. And now, he’s going to jail.
All eyes are now on the Sandiganbayan. The court will decide whether the country’s biggest flood control corruption case will become a landmark of accountability or another chapter left unanswered.
